Creative Urban Atmospheres

Creative Urban Atmospheres explores the potential for urban planners, researchers, and artists to intervene in the atmosphere of spectacle dominating current neoliberal urbanism strategies through sensory and sound-based artistic interventions drawing from Tactical Urbanism and Research-Creation. This book equips readers with tools and insights needed to address the pressing challenges of urban livability and inclusiveness in the face of neoliberal urbanism.

Through engaging discussions and a case study conducted in Montreal’s Quartier des Spectacles, the book demonstrates how sound-based and sensory interventions can reshape urban atmospheres, fostering cohabitation and inclusiveness for diverse populations. Key features include an interdisciplinary emphasis on the intertwinements of academic research, artistic practice, and participatory community engagement, ensuring that readers gain both theoretical understanding and practical approaches. With its focus on innovative methods such as Research-Creation and socially engaged art, this book not only critiques existing urban strategies but also empowers planners, artists, and communities with tactics for collaboratively transforming underused urban spaces into vibrant, livable, and inclusive social environments.

This book is designed for a diverse audience deeply invested in the future of urban spaces. It will be of interest to urban planners seeking innovative approaches to address urban polarization and promote inclusiveness, as well as academic researchers in urban studies and geography exploring the intersections of Tactical Urbanism and sensory interventions. Artists, designers, and architects will find inspiration in its emphasis on creative, participatory approaches while policymakers and community advocates can draw practical insights for fostering livable, inclusive cities. It also speaks to anyone with a vested interest in the challenges facing contemporary cities, including gentrification, touristification, and neoliberal urban pressures on the most marginalized groups.